The Nexus Newsletter is a bi-monthly newsletter. Dedicated to our readers, the Nexus newsletter is designed to connect the global green chemistry community, share information and support the ACS Green Chemistry Institute® and its mission:catalyzing and enabling the implementation of green chemistry and engineering throughout the global chemical enterprise.

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The Secret is Out... Green Chemistry is In!

Paul Hawken wrote in his book, "Blessed Unrest," that there was only one group capable of implementing solutions to the sustainability challenges facing our world today. Let's be honest, there are many organizations and many people from many countries working hard to find ways to implement sustainability and green chemistry. Their work is vitally important. There are regulations (ex. REACH), laws (ex. the Clean Water Act), incentives (ex. ethanol subsidies), events (ex. Rio 20+), and networks (ex. the International Network for Green Chemistry, IN4GC) that all add to the collective progress we are making in terms of understanding and implementing green chemistry. But at the end of the day, all of that activity comes down to one group. That one group wields more clout, investment power, creates more jobs and produces more wealth than all of the other activities combined. That one group has come to the table because they recognize the power of green chemistry.

You might ask, "What is the power of green chemistry?" The answer is simple. It is a power enabled by awareness. Once you become aware of what green chemistry can do, it is hard to ignore. While there are those who do not believe it is possible that green chemistry (a proven systems approach to doing chemistry via a set of 12 clearly articulated principles) could possibly deliver the benefits claimed by those who have seen it with their own eyes, the data is irrefutable. Green chemistry improves efficiency, reduces waste, reduces energy consumption, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Said another way, Green chemistry reduces costs. It also reduces risk while helping to ensure the right to operate in communities around the world.

Let's be clear, words alone do not mean success. Using a "biobased" feedstock does not automatically make a product or process greener. Claiming a gate-to-gate life cycle analysis, without consideration of raw material, use phase or end of life disposition leaves a lot of unknowns. The translation of technical details to marketing materials can be a challenge, but it is one we must work to get right. This means better communications, which brings me back to our group that is capable of delivering on the sustainability promise enabled by green chemistry. That group is who we refer to as private enterprise. It is the "captains of industry" around the world. It is the men and women who make the decision about what chemistry is practiced on a commercial scale. What is practiced on a commercial scale determines the chemicals we design, produce, use in products, send into the air, land and water, either directly via emissions or thru the use and disposal of products on a daily basis.

The chemical enterprise is estimated at $4 trillion. Today, the green chemistry portion of that global figure is only about $2 billion dollars, much less than 1%. The good news is that this figure is expected to grow to almost $100 billion by 2020. How is this possible? Simple, business is starting to get green chemistry. So watch out, once business sees the potential unleashed by the wonders and power of green chemistry, the rate of adoption will accelerate. As business demands cleaner and safer alternatives, more transparency, and independent third party validation, leaders will set the bar and competitors will have no choice but to step up their game or lose business. That's the power of green chemistry.

NEW THIS YEAR: The ACS Green Chemistry Institute will host its inaugural Green Chemistry Business Plan Competition at this year's 16th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference. This multi-phased competition has been designed to create opportunities that will spark Green Chemistry & Engineering development in the initial stages of the business life cycle. The submission deadline has been extended to Monday, April 30, 2012 5PM (EST). Participate in this competition for your chance to win a CA$H PRIZE!Click herefor more information.

NEW THIS YEAR: There will be a Hybrid Session at the 16th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference! The session will center around, "Advancing Global Green Chemistry - The Role of Government, Business, and Academia," and will be streamed live from Washington, D.C. on Wednesday, June 20, 2012, from 9:30AM - 11:45AM (EST). A global Q&A session with panelists will be open to all. Participants from around the world will be able to register and submit questions for the panelists via various social network tools. Be sure to check the conference website at www.gcande.org for upcoming information on this exciting event!

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ACS National Meeting: Thank You for Your Support!

United States Naval Academy StudentsAnnapolis, MD

THANK YOU to all that stopped by the ACS GCI booth at the 243rd ACS National Meeting in San Diego, CA on March 25-27, 2012! Your presence helped to make our booth a tremendous success!

Congratulations to all of our green chemistry prize giveaway winners, you really know your green chemistry facts! In addition, a special thank you to those who participated in thesustainability video interviews. We hope to see all of you again at the 244th ACS National Meeting in Philadelphia, PA on August 19-23, 2012.

ACS GCI once again worked closely with the Pearson publishing company to enable incorporation of green chemistry into the newly-published 13th edition of Chemistry for Changing Times. The, "Green Chemistry," chapter provides an in-depth overview of green chemistry and includes reader/student questions and exercises. It also includes a paragraph written by an ACS GCI staff member who manages to capture the essence of the need for green chemistry stating, "The future of this planet and its growing number of inhabitants will depend on the clean energy, water, air, food, medicine, and technology. You can contribute to sustainability through the products you purchase, recycling, conserving energy, and even through your career choices. Green chemistry is essential to a sustainable future!" Well said.

Wales will be the proud host of the only major international Molten Salts and Ionic Liquids conference in 2012. The event, EUCHEM 2012, will take place August 5-10, 2012 in Celtic Manor, Wales, with the Celtic Manor Resort complex, serving as the meeting site.

The first EUCHEM conference took place more than 45 years ago, in 1966. By 2004 the conference had evolved into a bi-yearly event, as the molten salt and ionic liquids community came together to create a global venue at which practitioners could gather to share ideas and learn from each other.

The conferences have been a major success, and EUCHEM 2012, once again, is expected to serve as a unique platform for molten salt and ionic liquid scientists to share and exchange knowledge as well as ideas and experience.

Come join experts from companies such as Nike, HP, Segetis, Hanesbrands and DuPont as well as academic and government leaders in discussions on advancing safer chemistry and products through supply chains.

Roundtable panels include:

Supply Chain Perspectives on the Commercial Adoption of Safer Substitutes

Innovation in Chemicals Management and Greener Materials in the Auto Sector

Tools for the Design and Selection of Safer Chemicals, Materials, and Products

Providing breakthroughs to world challenges is a key part of the 2015 goals of The Dow Chemical Company, such as finding clean sources of energy and reducing the carbon footprint of the way we live. Dow's POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingle does both. First, it captures that source of energy that pours down on the earth every day; the power of the sun. By converting solar energy into electricity and reducing the need for the homeowner to pull energy from the grid, clean sunshine powers the home and avoids the burning of fossil fuels.

But POWERHOUSE™ does more. This solar solution is part of a residential asphalt shingle. It installs in the same way as a conventional shingle roof, requiring no mounting system. The concept is described as Building Integrated Photovoltaics because the product is integrated with lower cost asphalt roofing material that can be thousands of dollars less expensive to install than other systems that often start with tile or concrete roofing materials.

In October, Dow commercialized the POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingles by launching the product in Colorado with D.R. Horton, a national builder who is making them a standard feature on 50 new homes in Spring Mesa, Colorado. During 2012 the increasing capacity to produce the product will lead to introduction in additional states across the United States, from California to the East Coast. The product is currently manufactured at small scale Dow facility in Midland, MI. Nearby construction is under way for a large scale facility which will be operational in 2013.

Just as the advent of indoor plumbing in the early 20th century fundamentally changed the expectations people had of their residences, new solar roofing technology unlocks the same potential to revolutionize the way people think about their roof. No longer is it a passive depreciating asset, but an active source of value.

This is a test Spreading the good word about the importance of green chemistry across the globe is a key component of the American Chemical Society's Green Chemical Institute's® (ACS GCI) mission. The latest chapter in that effort can be found in the Republic of Kenya, where ACS GCI is in the process of establishing an International Student Chapter.

The ACS GCI International Student Chapters provide a range of opportunities for students, encouraging them to get involved and learn from their global peers. For those involved within the chapters, mentoring programs will allow the students to assist with green chemistry education in their surrounding schools and communities.

Whether a sister high school or sister ACS GCI International Chapter, all students will ultimately benefit from the enhanced global awareness of green chemistry.Currently, there are 25 ACS GCI International Student Chapters at various stages of development. These international chapters already have ongoing green chemistry education, such as hosting green chemistry hands-on events. ACS GCI also has a range of green chemistry educational materials available to each chapter.

To be recognized as an ACS GCI International Student Chapter, an existing ACS Student Chapter must engage in at least three green chemistry activities during the academic year including: 1) Presenting a green chemistry poster at a national/regional meeting; 2) Giving green chemistry demos; and 3) Organizing and hosting a green chemistry speaker. These chapters can also apply for an "Innovative Activities Grant" to support green chemistry activities in research and community-oriented activities. Chapters awarded with a "green" status also receive recognition at the Green Chemistry Student Chapter Awards Ceremony held at ACS national meetings held twice yearly.

Kenyatta University is the second largest public university in Kenya and is our focus for the ACS GCI International Student Chapter. The Kenyatta University Female Students in Science and Technology (KUFESST) is an already established group of undergraduate students whose objective is to increase participation of underrepresented groups in Science, Mathematics and Information Technology and is a good base for the ACS GCI Kenya Chapter. A KUFESST group of students have already been involved in mentoring high school students by posing as role models to encourage students to pursue higher education in science. Unfortunately, due to a variety of social and cultural factors, Kenya has a particularly high dropout rate for female students. That in turn means that many of them fail to pursue careers in science and technology. Setting up a sister school collaboration with a high school in the United States through ACS GCI, will serve as a motivation for students to pursue higher education in sciences and to share in a vibrant and diverse learning atmosphere. KUFESST will initiate a green chemistry awareness campaign targeted at various schools in the region. Sister schools will jointly work on green chemistry projects utilizing Skype and other technologies for communications. The sister schools program provides students with a window to the world beyond their usual classroom environment.

Additionally, students and teachers can explore different learning styles and in general become more interdependent and culturally aware global citizens, and better able to take on the challenges facing a technology driven and inter-connected world with green chemistry being the common enabler. Furthermore, students can connect beyond simply reading a chemistry textbook and become mentors to their peers. Students can send letters (hard copy or email) as 'pen-pals' to improve their literacy skills!

Our efforts boil down to taking the initiative and it takes someone to champion the process.Therefore, we encourage you to setup your own ACS GCI International Student Chapter and find a sister ACS GCI Chapter and/or sister school!For more information, contact us at gci@acs.org.

Each year, 10 outstanding researchers from a variety of disciplines are chosen as Fellows. During the year-long program, they develop the essential skills to convey in plain and engaging language important research findings about the link between environment and human health and disease. The fellowship is unique in that it places researchers at the interface between science and journalism. Click here to read the full press release.

In addition, The Berkeley Center for Green Chemistry will be hosting the 2nd annual interdisciplinary green chemistry conference at UC Berkeley May 3rd and 4th. Click here for more info.

This short course is designed to provide participants with an understanding of the principles of sustainability and green chemistry. Upon successful completion of the course, the participant will have an understanding of the principles of green chemistry, the principles of green engineering, and resources to further their understanding of green chemistry. The course will begin by discussing principles of green chemistry and engineering as a supporting pillar of sustainable development. Case studies will be presented to exemplify each of these green chemistry principles. Finally, green chemistry education and resources will be presented. Throughout the course both principles and practical aspects of the outlined topics will be presented.

Course Topics:

Introduction

What is sustainability

The Business Case for Sustainabiity

Trends and Drivers

Supply Chain and Sustainable Design

Design Considerations

REACH, TSCA, and Other Programs

Cradle-to-Cradle Design

Biomimicry

Industrial Ecology

Life-Cycle Assessment

Eco-Efficiency Analysis

Renewable Resources

Green Chemistry

Introduction

12 Principles

Case Studies

Toxicology

Safer Solvents

Green Analytical Chemistry

Metrics for Assessing Greenness

Green Chemistry Education

Green Chemistry Resources

Dr. Douglas Raynie is a Research Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at South Dakota State University. Prior to joining SDSU, he was employed for eleven years as a Senior Scientist at Procter and Gamble's Corporate Research Division. He earned his Ph.D. at Brigham Young University under the direction of Dr. Milton L. Lee. His undergraduate degree is from Augustana (South Dakota) College, with majors in chemistry and biology. Dr. Raynie's research interests include high-resolution chromatography (including high-temperature LC and SFC), chromatographic sample preparation (including ASE, SFE, SPME, and SPE), chromatography theory, green chemistry, and problem-based learning in analytical chemistry. Dr. Raynie has several publications and presentations related to these fields, has taught about 50 short courses covering extraction methodology and analytical problem-solving, and serves on the editorial advisory boards of Pharmaceutical Formulation and Quality and the Encyclopedia of Separation Science. Doug was a founder and past-president of the Tri-State Supercritical Fluids Discussion Group. He is a member of the American Chemical Society (Division of Analytical Chemistry, Subdivision on Chromatography and Division of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, Subdivision on Green Chemistry and Engineering), and the International Society for the Advancement of Supercritical Fluids.

International Green Chemistry World 2011 was held in Mumbai, India in December. ACS GCI Director, Bob Peoples was a speaker at this event and was also interviewed by Chemical Weekly. Click here to read the full story.

ATTENTION STUDENTS! Want to spend the summer interacting with some of the best scientists and work on some cool projects? The ACS Green Chemistry Institute® is looking to hire a paid summer intern. This position will focus on developing practical business case studies on the value proposition of green chemistry and its impact to the bottom line within their organization. The intern will also work on event management, sales, marketing and communication related to the June GC&E conference. The position will report to a business development specialist. Qualified candidates should have a science background and be enrolled in a four year business program or working towards an MBA, or Masters in Economics. For more information, please contact Shefali Algoo.